Continued from page 14

Continued from page 14

To calm the mare, Miss Ward ran her fingers across the mare’s upper gum which soon had the mare lowering her head and looking a lot less tense. Miss Ward also played with the mare’s tongue, a muscle itself which can help the neck muscles relax when touched and massaged.

Other important spots for relieving tension and relaxing a horse are around the eyes and the ears.

“Ears are very important pressure points that can get a horse out ' of shock from colic and other injuries,” Miss Ward explains.

The massages Miss Ward performs are simple.

“All you have to do to make major changes is make a circular motion with your fingertips,” she says. “It doesn’t take much pressure, just enough to make the horse know what muscles are tight.”

Working on the tail, which is actually several joints, pulling on it gently and slowly turning it around in a circular motion, Miss Ward relaxed the mare’s back.

“The Chinese say that if you can influence the flexion of an individual joint, it will influence all joints,” says Miss Ward.

As the mare relaxed, Miss Ward started putting other joints through a full range of motion to stretch the

Shiitake

conference

The basic biology and production of shiitake (she-e-tah-key) mushrooms will be highlighted.

“Mushroom farming has become an attractive source of secondary income for increasing numbers of Virginians, with shiitake being the major type grown,” said Andy G. Hankins, Madison County Extension agent and conference coordinator.

The conference will begin with registration, coffee and exhibits from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.

A registration fee of $6 will include all conference sessions and lunch. Pre-registration is encouraged. Make checks payable to “Extension Special Account” and mail to Andy G. Hankins, Extension Agent, P.O. Box 10, Madison, VA 22727.

A conference program and directions to the Northern Virginia 4-H Center will be mailed to each person who pre-registers before Saturday, February 8.